The health minister has withdrawn his plans to ban the use of e-cigarettes in all enclosed public places in Wales.

In a debate at the Senedd, the Health Minister announced that he would be withdrawing his proposals, but said his personal views on e-cigarettes, which emit vapour containing nicotine flavourings, had not changed.

The decision marks a U-turn in public health plans, after health minister Mark Drakeford introduced a bill earlier this year calling for legislation on the devices to fall in line with existing smoking laws.

This is despite the fact that there is currently limited evidence of them being a health risk to others.

Legislation of this type is in force in Malta, Belgium and Spain but Wales would have been the first British nation to legislate for a ban.

It could have been introduced by late 2016.

'We need action'

Professor Drakewford had previously said: “This is not an area in which you should wait for proof that harm has conclusively happened. We need to take action now to prevent the possibility of harm.”

But he said on Tuesday that he recognised it was his duty as minister to find an agreement and would bring forward amendments that specified more carefully where e-cigarettes should be banned.

“As far as e-cigarettes are concerned, my own view remains that the measures contained within the Bill as drafted provide the simplest, clearest and most proportionate means of preventing harm which could arise from the proliferation of e-cigarettes,” he said.

'Evidence contested'

“The state of evidence here remains contested, but where there is a credible risk of harm - and that was the position underlined in oral evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee from the British Medical Association, the directors of Public Health in Wales and our own Chief Medical Officer - then the precautionary principle should prevail.

Related:

Read More

“I will, accordingly, bring forward government amendments at both Stages 2 and 3 of the Bill’s consideration, provided it moves beyond Stage 1 today. Those amendments will define more precisely those enclosed and substantially enclosed public spaces where, in future, the use of an e-cigarette would be prohibited.

“I am not prepared, and I do not believe this Assembly should not be prepared, to do nothing in the hope that harm might not occur.”

'Not far enough'

But the Welsh Conservative argue the last-minute climbdown does not go far enough.

Darren Millar AM said the Labour Government should scrap the plans entirely.

“Today’s climb-down doesn’t go far enough. The only answer is to listen to the experts and scrap this ill-informed and unnecessary ban.

“It’s a backwards step for smoking cessation and undermines efforts to improve public health.

“All the evidence suggests e-cigarettes have an important part to play in helping smokers kick the habit and tinkering with the ban won’t work.

“Only ditching it entirely will provide the support many of those trying to quit require.”

Discourage or encourage

The British Heart Foundation, ASH Wales and Tenovus had all expressed concern over the proposed ban although it had won support from the British Medical Association and is World Health Organisation policy.